In today’s Gospel, an incredulous Thomas tells his fellow disciples that he will not believe their claims that Christ is alive unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hands into his side. After encountering the risen Lord, Thomas utters five words, “My Lord and my God!” According to the Catechism, these simple words convey Thomas’ profound beliefin Christ’s victory over death and in Christ’s divinity. (CCC 448)

Imagine how so many others have come to believe in Christ! The Apostles fearlessly preached the risen Lord and cured the sick, and great numbers were added to them. Five thousand heard Peter’s speech on Pentecost (Acts 4:4) and came to believe. In the Book of Revelation, we learn that John saw visions on the Island of Patmos. Among them was an encounter with Jesus, the first and the last, the one who lives, who tells John to write down what [he] has seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.

Other passages in Scripture tell us that there were more than five hundred eyewitnesses to Christ’s resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:4-8; Acts 1:22; CCC 643) Even though many had known Jesus in his public ministry, their faith was confirmed, with the help of divine grace, from their direct experience of the reality of the risen Christ. (CCC 645) He ate and drank with them; he breathed his Spirit upon them; he repeatedly offered them his mercy and his peace.

And how did you come to believe in the resurrected Christ? Perhaps your parents first shared the faith with you. Perhaps a coworker or friend told you about Christ. Perhaps you experienced the charity and joy of a Christian community. Perhaps you read about Christ in sacred Scripture, especially the word of God proclaimed each week in the liturgy. Your faith has been planted and has grown through the grace of the sacraments over the years - baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, perhaps marriage, and more.

Like the Apostles, as believers, each of us has the obligation and solemn duty to share the good news of salvation, and that Christ is alive in our midst. How can we have an impact on a culture that has become convinced that belief and religious expression should not affect laws and societal norms? Believers have always been moved by divine grace to become witnesses to the truth of the resurrection, to the forgiveness of sins, and to the promise of eternal salvation. Do you know someone who needs to hear about Jesus Christ? If you do, without hesitation or delay, go and tell them so they might come to know the joy we have found in Jesus.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, April 12, 2026)